Chapter 44
It’s impossible to miss Cameron’s reaction when she realizes that I know the man she works for.
“It’s okay. Take a breath.”
Her eyes are wide. The pulse point at her throat shows that her heart rate is ticking higher and higher.
“H-how well do you know him?”
I cut my eyes around the place. There’s no one close. When I lean in, her gaze is fixed on me. “If you let this leak, I’d have to kill you.”
Her lashes flutter as she blinks rapidly. The color of her cheeks cools. “Oh, come on, I’m being serious here.”
“I am too.”
“You know the owner of PCI?”
“I do. I know him well enough to tell you that his left eye is fake.”
Her brow creases. For a beat, she stares at me, contemplating something.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I’ve never seen him.”
I pull back as I feel my own brows drop down. “You work for him, but you’ve never seen him?”
“He’s secretive…”
My burst of laughter surprises her. “That’s so fucking Nighthawk. He’s always so dramatic. You’d think he was a teenager in a high school play.”
There’s outright disbelief and confusion on her face.
I grin and shake my head at the weird coincidence. “I worked with him. In the Teams.”
She closes her mouth and pulls her hand away from mine. “Then you know he’ll fire me in an instant. He gave me an hour to solve the problem… about four hours ago. Now I’m supposed to report in for a debrief. I’ll be fired too, I’m sure.”
“Maybe, maybe not. He’s not going to just throw away a good asset like you.”
“But, Lucas, I slept with you and lost?—”
The waitress returns, cutting off what she was saying.
I pass the woman the menus. If my stomach wasn’t mounting a mutiny, I’d ask her to return again later. “Please pick something for the two of us. Whatever you think is best tonight.”
The waitress shrugs. “Okay. Would you like beer or wine? We have an outstanding menu of regional favorites, made right here in Vandemora.”
I’m looking at Camile when I say, “No, thanks. Bring two bottled waters.”
Recognition flares in my girl’s pretty hazel eyes.
I could care less about drinking. I want her happy.
When the waitress leaves, I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss the back of her knuckles. “Now, let’s finish talking about Nighthawk.”
Camile sits forward suddenly, her eyes widening. “Oh, my god. I know what I’m going to do. I’m going rogue.”
My brows don’t just lift, they shoot up.
Rogue?
“Full stop. That’s a hard no.”
Her expression turns fierce. She smacks her hand on the table. “I’m going rogue. That’s the answer. I’m going to finish my investigation. Unravel the corruption and theft inside FamFind, and then I can hand over the information to PCI. They won’t lose their client that way. This is perfect.”
Sitting forward more, her eyes spark. “I’ll go back to town with you and pretend that I’m not bothered about losing the FamFind job. I’ll just lurk around and gather the intel I need.”
I’ve got a ring of heat forming around the base of my neck.
“Poppy,” I growl. “You’re not going rogue. You’re not going sneaking around, digging into something that could be dangerous. Look at what’s happened already!”
She looks positively determined.
“Lucas, you don’t understand. I have to make this work. I have to succeed. There’s no safety net. I have no one. And I’m never going back to being the person I was before. I won’t be directly involved with the company anymore. I can just watch and see if I can tell what’s happening. That’s it. I just need to be the observer. Something’s about to happen. And I think it involves a couple of crates that were in the inventory when we arrived in town.”
I stand up, never letting her hand go, and move around the table. I drag her into my arms, crushing her in a hug, tucking her under my chin. “Dammit, woman.”
“Please, Lucas. I can’t stop now. I’ve come too far. I’m so close, I feel it, but if I don’t follow through on this, my dreams are all dead.”
Fuck. I want to put her on a plane and send her out of here. I don’t want her going undercover. I don’t want her sneaking around gathering intel. But I fucking get the fire inside her.
That’s what I see in her, on top of so many other things, but it’s the fire that makes my soul recognize hers.
That spells big trouble. I didn’t ask for this. Didn’t want it.
Against her hair, I murmur, “I get you. I love your determination.”
Her arms tighten around my waist in a determined hug. “Then you won’t stop me.”
I chuckle. Frustration makes me squeeze her back. “Damn you and your logic.”
She burrows deeper, and I don’t even care that there are restaurant patrons staring at us. “One condition.”
“Oh, brother. Here we go…”
I tilt her back, take her face in my hands, and kiss her lips. I restrain myself from diving my tongue in for a taste. When I pull back, her expression is filled with hope and tinted with confusion.
“I’m working your case with you.”
She blinks, her mouth opens. After a beat, she snaps it closed. “But what about your work?”
“I stepped down.”
After a shocked inhale, she pushes both her hands against my chest. “No! You can’t do that.”
“Done.”
Her brows pinch together. “Because of me?”
I kiss her forehead again. “Yes, but it was time.”
“What do you mean?”
I gently push her back toward her chair. “I can’t be effective if my head is not in the game.”
When I sit across from her, she looks worried. “But you’re good at your job. I can tell you like it.”
I sigh and lean back. “I do. But I can’t do that when I’m worried about you.”
The waitress arrives with two heaping plates of food. The delicious smell of lobster and shrimp and spices wraps around us. After she gives us a quick pitch about the dishes, the woman leaves.
I pick up my fork and motion toward Cami… Cameron. Damn, I have Camile wired in my brain.
“So, tell me about the name Camile.”
As she spreads the cloth napkin on her lap, she smiles. It’s the kind of smile that causes a hitch in my pulse. Sweet, innocent. A view into her inner world.
“It’s my undercover name. Kind of my alter-ego name. When I’m Camile, I feel powerful and invincible.”
“But not when you’re Cameron?”
She makes a face as she picks up a plump shrimp on her fork. “No. I was supposed to be a boy. That’s the name my father picked because of some guy on television. Anyway, I wasn’t named Cameron because I had hip parents who like gender neutral names. It was a reminder that I wasn’t the child he wanted.”
“I like them both. What do you want me to call you?”
Her expression falters. She blinks and looks past my shoulder for a beat, but then she focuses on me again. “Truthfully…I don’t care what you call me. I just like the way you see me.”
We stare at each other for a beat, across the steam coming from our plates. “I feel the same. Now eat.”
The thief of my heart dives into her meal, a small smile on her face as she enjoys the delicious food. I eat heartily, knowing we’ve got a long night ahead, we should get back to Santa Rosa, so we can get this case of hers wrapped up.
I’ve got some calls to make. Including one to my former commander, Nighthawk.